Richard Pryor: Is It Something I Said? biopic to film this fall
For Wayans, Richard Pryor: Is It Something I Said? (which begins shooting in the fall) is the sound of opportunity. "This is like an invitation to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro for me, and I've never been more excited in my life than when I got the role," he said last week. "I want to be in dramas, I want to produce, I want to write and I want to prove I can handle a role such as this one."
The site also spoke with the film's producer, Mark Gordon, who revealed that Wayans' screen test was, "absolutely marvelous" and secured the role for him, which was originally thought to go to Eddie Murphy.
"Obviously there are a number of requirements to playing Richard Pryor -- you have to be funny, of course, but this role also has so many colors to it that you need to be a strong actor who can handle the dramatic scenes," Gordon said. "There were discussions with Eddie Murphy . . . Eddie Murphy is a great star, and I have no doubt he would be a great Richard Pryor. But Eddie Murphy is Eddie Murphy in the eyes of the audience. Marlon Wayans is a great actor and will be a great Richard Pryor, but he brings less baggage."
Bill Condon is directing Richard Pryor: Is It Something I Said? from his own script.
to read the entire article.Richard Pryor: Is It Something I Said? was released in 2011 and stars Marlon Wayans. The film is directed by Bill Condon.
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Brian
Rad...
2 years agoby @brianFlag
ed_wood
He's a good actor but I just don't see it. I too want to see this screen test.
2 years agoby @ed-woodFlag
Brian Gallagher
I'm really happy for Wayans as well. While he didn't have huge parts in Requiem for a Dream and Ladykillers, at least he proved that he does want something more than his crappy Wayans-family comedies. I wonder if that screen test he did is online somewhere. I'd love to get a hold of it and see how well he did.
2 years agoby @gallagherFlag
Rock
Pearwater is right , before they said it would be murphy in Pryor's role , Mike Epps was in lead to play the part , if not mistaken he even met with pryor and his wife before pryor died , and his wife approved him. I still think he is the best choice to play Pryor ,
big fan of Wayans and trully think he can pull it off , aldo i wouldnt mind seeing Murphy in a serious role also , been craving one ever since i saw his perfomance in Dream girls and when is The pj's finnaly hitting dvd's
2 years agoby @elrochoFlag
Batman Rules !!!
Nice. He is the Funniest 1 to Me
2 years agoby @the-fallenFlag
The Narrator: The Better Man
I actually don't mind Wayans. He is a cool guy, and has more talent than his brothers. This fits him so I say go for it. I am with Annoying down there, this can be his big break, cuz as he said himself above, Wayans' want's to branch out to bigger and better things than lame and raunchy comedies.
2 years agoby @narratorFlag
Cripple
Let's hope he can do well.
2 years agoby @crippleFlag
pearwater
Originally I thought Mike Epps was attached to this movie?? Well, I hope it does well.
2 years agoby @pearwaterFlag
Lizcole2
This might work.
2 years agoby @lizcole2Flag
AnnoyingFilmCritic
I'm very happy to see a Richard Pryor bio-pic finally getting some production traction. As for Wayans in the role, it's very big shoes to fill...his screen test must have been great. I agree that casting Murphy would have got in the way of portraying Pryor.
This role could be for Wayans for what "Ray" (Ray Charles) did for Jamie Foxx's career (with the exception of The Soloist which never got the emotional beats down right).
2 years agoby @annoyingfilmcriticFlag
Solar XI
This I am definitely seeing. Wayans is a good actor and one of the few underrated talents in this day in age. I imagine this to be a little like his role in Requiem For A Dream with his comedic talents.
2 years agoby @solarxiFlag
Err
my initial reaction to wayans was "eh" but when i think about "live and smokin'" i can totally see marlon pulling off the role. as for the later-years richard pryor, im not so sure.
2 years agoby @err2005Flag